Netflix will delve into the origins of the longest-running political family dynasty in the United States, the Kennedys.
The streamer has greenlit a series, titled Kennedy, that will star Michael Fassbender as patriarch Joseph Kennedy Sr. The show comes from Chernin Entertainment and showrunner Sam Shaw (Castle Rock, Manhattan). Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round) is attached to direct.
The series is based on JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956 by Fredrik Logevall.
“The story of the Kennedys is the closest we have to American mythology — somewhere between Shakespeare and The Bold and the Beautiful,” said Shaw. “But Fredrik Logevall’s stunning, nuanced biography pulls a veil on the human strivings and burdens behind the myth, revealing as much about our present moment, how we got here and where we’re going, as about the Kennedys themselves. I’m thrilled to be able to explore this saga of a family and a world in transition.”
Kennedy is intended as an ongoing series. The first season will be set in the 1930s and follow the “improbable ascent of Joe and Rose Kennedy and their nine children, including rebellious second son Jack, who struggles to escape the shadow of his golden boy older brother,” per the show’s logline.
Shaw will executive produce Kennedy with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill for Chernin Entertainment, Eric Roth, Logevall, Lila Byock, Anya Epstein, Dustin Thomason, Vinterberg and Anna O’Malley.
Chernin Entertainment, part of The North Road Company, has produced a number of titles for Netflix, including the animated series Exploding Kittens, the Fear Street films and features Back in Action and Rez Ball.
